American Government
Competency
Citizenship
Rights
Rights are things that you are allowed to do or have that cannot be infringed by the government.
The First 10 Amendments:
1. Freedom of speech, religion, press, etc.
2. Right to keep and bear arms.
3. The conditions for quartering soldiers.
4. Right of search and seizure.
5. Provisions regarding the prosecution of an individual.
6. Right to a speedy trial.
7. Right to trial by jury.
8. Provision against excessive bail and cruel punishment before trial.
9. Rule of construction regarding the constitution
10. The rights of the states under the Constitution.
Duties
Duties are things that you have to do as a U.S. citizen
For example:
- Serve as a jury or witness in court
- Registering for a draft
- Attend school
- Obey laws
- Pay taxes
- Respect the rights of others
Responsibilities
Responsibilities are things that are not mandatory but encouraged
For example:
- Support and defend the constitution
- Stay informed of issues affecting your community
- Help candidates win elections
- Improve your community
- Express opinions to influence government
- Voulnteering
Elections
Political Spectrum
The political spectrum is your beliefs and what party you are in. The U.S. has a two party system were the Democratic Party and the Republican part have the majority of votes and either of those two win elections and other parties called third parties don't have much of a chance. Third parties play a major role in effecting major parties and bringing up important issues. Republicans are right wing and Democrats are left wing. Another word for being moderate, in the middle, is Independent
Voting
You are allowed to vote in elections if you are a U.S. citizen of age at least 18 and you are also a resident of the state you are voting in. In the beginning of our nation, the only people who were allowed to vote were wealthy white males. Soon, all white males were allowed to vote because of president Andrew Jackson. After that, the 15th amendment was added to our constitution allowing black men to vote. Then, the 19th amendment was added to the constitution allowing all women to vote. But still, you had to be the age of 21 to vote. This arose problems when in the Vietnam War, 18 year olds were allowed to fight, but not vote. This led to the creation of the 26th amendment, lowering the voting age to 18.
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